The present invention relates generally to a fitting for a containment chamber and, more particularly, to a flexible entry boot for providing a fluid-tight fitting between a wall of a fluid containment region and a conduit passing through the wall.
For many years in the area of fluid fittings, some structures have been of a permanent variety which include welding or bonding of the exterior wall of the conduit to the wall opening of the fluid containment region through which the conduit extends. Other structures, such as that disclosed by Webb in U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,073, disclose the use of a fitting system which is installed at a factory and then adapted by the user to fit his needs. Such manufacturing processes of fluid containment structures are limited since they require built-in fitting systems for which some users may not have any need.
Moreover, many of these fitting structures require fixedly attaching the conduit at an angle perpendicular to the containment region wall. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,684 issued to Lawrence; U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,073 issued to Webb; U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,392 issued to Woods; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,310,877 issued to Sperry all teach conduit fitting systems which require the conduit to be placed at an angle normal to the containment wall. If the angle is not normal, the fluid-tight seal will be breached. Such requirements greatly inhibit the use of the fitting system since a conduit cannot be inserted into the containment wall at angles which are other than normal while still maintaining a fluid-tight environment.
Furthermore, many structures require the sealing member to be fully or partially disposed outside the containment region. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,684 issued to Lawrence; U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,923 issued to Boehmer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,073 issued to Webb; U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,392 issued to Woods; U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,301 issued to Salinger; U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,280 issued to Swanson; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,717,792 issued to Phelly disclose sealing members existing at least in part outside the containment region. Such a requirement exposes the sealing member to ground and weather exposure, which results in an eventual wearing out of the sealing member, thereby causing a breach in the fluid-tight environment.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fluid-tight entry boot for use with fluid-tight fitting systems, which boot has the advantage of easy installation for a user. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an entry boot which has a sealing member substantially fully disposed within the containment region, which advantageously protects the sealing member from ground and weather exposure. Yet still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide such an entry boot which allows for the insertion of a conduit into a containment wall opening at angles which are not necessarily normal while maintaining a fluid-tight environment. Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a fluid-tight system which is of simple construction and relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture and install.
The present invention addresses and solves the above-mentioned problems and meets the enumerated objects and advantages, as well as others not enumerated, by providing a ducted flexible entry boot assembly for providing a fluid-tight fitting between a wall of a fluid containment region and a conduit passing through the wall. The ducted flexible entry boot assembly comprises a seal member adapted to be disposed within the containment region, the seal member having a substantially planar seal portion and an integral hollow support sleeve concentric with the seal portion and adapted to extend axially into the containment region. The support sleeve has an outer surface and an inner, conduit receiving surface, and further has a degree of flexibility relative to the seal portion sufficient to allow for the insertion of the conduit at angles equal to or other than an angle normal to the fluid containment wall while maintaining a fluid-tight environment. The ducted flexible entry boot assembly further comprises means for rigidifying the seal portion of the seal member; and means for releasably attaching the hollow support sleeve to the conduit. A flexible, corrosion resistant sealing ring member is adapted to be disposed outside the containment region. A flexibly rigid ducting boot is integrally formed with, and extends outwardly from the sealing ring member. Means, adapted to be disposed between the sealing ring member and the wall, are provided for sealing. The ducted flexible entry boot assembly further comprises means, carried by the sealing ring member and adapted to extend axially through the wall and the rigidified seal portion, for releasably attaching the seal member to the wall of the containment region.